City of Starlight
by Five Minutes Til Bedtime
Summary: Kurt finds more than bright lights and music in New York City. One-shot. AN: This rather got away from me…


Title: **City of Starlight**

Fandom: GleeXAvengers

Summary: Kurt finds more than bright lights and music in New York City. One-shot. AN: This rather got away from me…

Word Count: 2,525

* * *

**1 – Wake up Sweetheart**

Kurt had always dreamed of New York. Like a beacon the city had called out to him promising Broadway, fashion, music, and – most importantly – acceptance. New York was the farthest thing away from Lima, Ohio as possible and Kurt wanted nothing more than to take the city and throw it around his shoulders like a blanket of lights, music, and hope.

In reality, New York was not a dream. It was dirty and cold. The rent was outrageous, the streets were fierce, and while some men walked in pressed suits and some women in expensive dresses Kurt's eyes were helplessly drawn to the homeless who sat grimy and invisible on the side of every long city block.

There was no NYADA for Kurt – at least, not yet – and while he had a nice job at Vogue, picking up phones was never the way he envisioned his voice to be used for.

Rachel was a pleasant surprise. The girl's antics were somehow less outrageous and more determined in the big city. Perhaps it was because she knew Kurt was no longer a threat to her but her smiles were genuine and often and they clung to each other, to small town stars searching for their place to shine in the city that wanted to blot them out for good.

There was no Blaine in New York. There was no Blaine at all anymore.

**2 – Turn Your Eyes to the Sky**

Kurt knew of Stark Tower. Of course he did, he wasn't dead after all. The monstrous thing seemed to menace above the city, reaching out with glass and steel to ostentatiously steal the sky.

In truth, Kurt rather liked it. It was new and different – not bagged down by bitterness and hurt like the rest of the city. Still, when his boss handed him a card and told him to go to the address and 'try not to slap him' the shiny golden number on the side of the tower seemed to actively be trying to glare at him. He thought it was a joke, but he couldn't come up with a good reason for it. Miss Wright liked him – she was _nice_. She wouldn't send him here without a reason.

He screwed up his courage – and thank Gaga he had enough of it, living in Lima had been good for one thing at least – and he rang the buzzer.

"Ms. Potts? My name is Kurt Hummel. I'm from Vogue. Isabelle Wrightsent me."

And the door swung open.

**3 – Don't be Afraid**

Pepper Potts was a stunning, well-dressed, polite, professional woman who scared the shit out of Kurt. Not at first, of course. At first Kurt just admired the way her outfit hung on her thin frame, feminine and powerful all at once. That was before he realized he was staring at the CEO of Stark Enterprise, a women who – in addition to single handedly running one of the most notorious and well-off companies in America, was also the rumored love interest to a certain iron suit clad Tony Stark.

Kurt wasn't one for making serious judgments based on Tabloids but even he had to pick his jaw off the ground and make sure he eye balls didn't pop out when she shook his hand and smiled.

"I asked Isabelle for the best she could spare, Mr. Hummel. May I call you Kurt? She spoke very highly of you. I'm sure you'll be able to handle the job just fine."

And into the glass elevator she led him, which rocketed into the sky in way that made Kurt reach for the railing and his stomach flip while the woman beside him calmly clicked around on a fancy piece of plastic that was so high-tech Kurt wasn't even sure it was legal.

When the elevator stopped and Kurt realized that he was on the top floor – _the_ _top floor of Stark Tower! –_ realization suddenly dawned. He knew who was going to be standing behind that door. His stomach did another flip and his courage actually shuddered.

Pepper Potts smiled at him when the doors opened.

"Just try not to slap anyone. Call me and I'll do it for you."

**4 – Stronger than You Look**

Kurt stared at the Avengers. The Avengers stared back. Pepper Potts cleared her throat pointedly and motion suddenly came to a stuttering halt.

"This is Kurt Hummel. He's from Vogue and he's here so that I don't have to deal with your pictures ending up on the 'What Not to Wear' list and causing a PR nightmare every time one of you steps outside. Play nice. Kurt these are the Avengers. I leave them in your capable hands."

And with that the women who either had no sense of humor or a very, very wicked one walked out of the room leaving Kurt – alone but fabulous – in a room full of superheroes.

Bruce Banner slowly lowered a test tube of bubbling green liquid in the kitchen. A red-haired woman – her name was never publicized – slid off of a stool with all the grace and danger of a lioness. The unnamed archer dropped from the beams overhead and landed beside the woman without a sound, crossing his arms menacingly. Tony Stark and Captain America let go of the remote they were fighting over and zeroed in on him at once.

"Mr. Hummel, thank you for coming by. My name is Steve Rogers and – "

"Look kid, I told Pepper I'd play nice but if you try bring anything that sparkles or remotely resembles the American flag near me – "

" – you'll have to ignore Stark. He doesn't have any manners. Would you like anything to drink? We've got – "

" – Seriously, Cap? We're paying the guy; you don't have to bride him too. 'Sides, the kid is way too young for any _fun _beverages. What are you, twelve?"

Kurt's eyes narrowed, catching that last bit even as the two rambled on. His courage suddenly snapped in place and instead of seeing two super-powered men who could surely kill him they were replaced with the image of Finn and Puck bickering. Well, if that was how they were going to be, Kurt had plenty of practice dealing with stupid boys.

Stepping neatly around the feuding pair, Kurt walked over to the kitchen and offered his hand to the lady, ignoring the way her eyes narrowed and the man beside her clenched his fist. It was only good manners.

"Kurt Hummel, pleasure to meet you. Now, have you ever considered wearing gold? Some people can't pull it off but I think I have just the idea for a dress for you…"

**5 – And On and On the World Spins**

It is remarkable how quickly Kurt adapted to the Avengers – though maybe it was more impressive in how quickly each Avenger adapted to him.

Natasha – he learned all of their names shortly – was amused by his courage and, while insisting on having far too many places for weapons in each garment he thought of, was still a woman who enjoyed beautiful things and thus helped Kurt a great deal in molding her style. Once she was on his side the rest seemed to click. Clint, the archer, shook his hand and said simply, "Nothing tight, nothing bright."

The others were not so difficult. While Tony was in no need of another expensive suit (Kurt nearly wet himself when he was invited into the billionaire's walk in closet as 'evidence') Kurt was determined to replace at least a few of the man's casual shirts with something other than old rock band T-shirts.

That still left the largest members of the team: Captain America, Dr. Bruce Banner (or the Hulk, Kurt privately thought, and then giggled – it reminded him too much of Dave's fist of _Fury_) and one missing member, the demigod Thor, who supposedly off-world which was, well, still a bit much for Kurt to process. The good doctor timidly tried to worm his way out of Kurt's grasp but nothing was strong enough to stand between Kurt and fashion. Even Tony had perked up when he mentioned finding a material stretchy enough to fit Bruce no matter his mood – "clothes fit you, you don't fit the clothes."

Surprisingly, Kurt's hardest time was with none other than the Captain himself, Steve Rogers. This was less to do with fashion and more how Steve grew up – which was to say, not around boy who worked in fashion, spoke softly, and wore skirts and corsets from time to time. That wasn't to say that he was homophobic, but he was distinctly uncomfortable and embarrassed when talking to Kurt one-on-one (apparently his initial exuberance had been his 40's manners acting up more than anything).

That being said, Kurt took one look at the Captain's starched, collared shirts and couldn't resist face palming right there.

"This is a crime against humanity – and fashion. I think I might be actually offended."

Thor was terrifying. Kurt met him a few weeks later and couldn't help an unconscious step back. Thor was huge and loud and so terribly a jock he couldn't help his gasp. Natasha's hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could turn tail and run. Thor's smile did the rest.

And so for the next several months Kurt's life was filled with measurements and experimental fabric, weapon holsters and suits, gowns and T-shirts. He visited the Tower often, always on business though by the third week he didn't object when Tony pulled him down on the couch for a movie.

Once they figured out he was an accomplished cook as well as fashionista it was remarkable Kurt made it home at all.

**6 – Like a Fish to Water**

He saw them on the news playing outside his office at Vogue daily – the office which he had earned promptly with a hug and an unbelieving squeal from Isabelle when he made it out of the Tower alive. His hands clenched unconsciously into fists each time, wincing at every explosion and weapon pulled. It was hard to see the Avengers when he was looking at the faces of Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce, and Thor.

Shortly afterward he splurged and brought home a tv. He kept it tuned to the news with the volume low at all times and never turned it off, even when he went to bed. Rachel merely smiled and told him she was glad to see him passionate about something again.

He tried to play it down, but even he could see that the Avengers were quickly invading his life. Sketches of the heroes lay haphazardly on every flat surface of his room, with many more bulging from his satchel and tacked to walls. A fancy hunk of plastic (an FHP he lovingly called the tech Tony had given to him) was in his palm at all times. A few actual pictures, some sketches done by Steve, and recipes that he knew Thor or Bruce liked were strewn about as well.

It felt like his life in New York was slowly filling up. The little hole in his heart that had come tearing open when he'd left Lima – left his dad and glee club and _Blaine _– that little hole was finally healing.

**7 – In the City of Stars**

Kurt almost missed the second application date to NYADA. He was plotting a new was to disguise knives in an absolutely gorgeous dress for Natasha (and isn't it weird the things you pick up?) when Rachel came flouncing into his room with a grin and a surprise.

"They're having open auditions on Friday! All the staff is going to be there. If they like you they can just admit you right there – it's perfect Kurt!"

It was perfect – and terrifying. Every day the audition came closer he kept on expecting to feel his nerves act up, for butterflies to take over his stomach, yet he felt oddly peaceful. He was excited but not scared. It was strange.

Friday afternoon, two hours before the audition, Kurt got a call from Tony telling him it was a fashion emergency and to come to the Tower quickly. When the elevator doors opened he was surprised to find no smoke or fire, just five immaculacy dressed heroes wearing _his _designs.

Tony grinned at him smugly.

"Forgot to tell us about your big audition, kid? Come on, I'm driving."

And Kurt couldn't help the impossibly wide smile that broke through on his face when he looked out from the stage and saw his friends standing on their feet cheering for him.

**8**

He turned them down.

**& 9 – Curtains Close**

He would never be able to explain it.

The astonishment on his friends' faces back home when they showed him pictures of himself seen with one or all of the Avengers. The articles about him in Vogue or the images of his designs walking down the runways of Milan and Paris and LA. The freshman that came up to him with a "You're _Kurt Hummel_! Could I please have your autograph, sir! I can't believe you're here!"

They were so very far away from his life in New York City. Explaining life in New York was already difficult – explaining superheroes, new dreams, and a life that was never planned was impossible.

In the end, though he went back to Ohio often, he never felt as if he was coming home until the plane back to New York. Even as his project with the Avengers dwindled (it wouldn't ever actually end, seeing how most of his clothes were liable to be burned or blasted or torn in two) his time amongst his new found friends continued steadily. His office at work became a partnership with Isabelle which turned into his own line which quickly had him visiting the whole world for runways and fresh ideas.

And SHIELD approached him and asked him to be their eyes and ears on certain black-tie occasions, well, Kurt wasn't allowed to talk about that.

And when he was inevitably held at gunpoint by a terrorist who wanted leverage, Kurt's first words to the absolutely furious heroes who rescued him were, "What took you so long? Do you think these stains will come out?"

And when one brave co-worker asked him out, Kurt threatened Tony, Clint, Thor with glitter if they misbehaved only to miss Natasha as she efficiently scared the life his date in another room.

And life went on and on and things changed but only enough to keep things interesting. Rachel and he moved into a new apartment – together still despite having enough money each to afford their own place. Old classmates moved to the city, some made it, others didn't. His dad handed the shop down to Finn who managed it while working for his teacher's credentials.

Standing on top of Stark Tower, that looming monstrosity that shot into the sky like a flare stopped in motion, Kurt knew that he had found a place to shine far, far above the clamor of the city.

And he never regretted a second of it.


End file.
